2017 LABOUR FORCE SURVEY COMMENCES

The Central Statistical Office (CSO) of the Ministry of Finance and Energy, in collaboration with the OECS Commission, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Decent Work Team, the World Bank and the Office for the Caribbean and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will be conducting the Annual National Labour Force Survey in Grenada starting this Monday September 11, 2017.

In this regard, the Ministry of Finance and Energy is again asking for the support and cooperation of the general public to ensure the efficient conduct of this annual survey.

A Labour Force Survey is a household sample survey that provides estimates of employment and unemployment. These are among the most important measures of economic performance of any economy.

The main objectives of the 2017 Labour Force Survey (LFS) are: (1) to divide the working-age population into three mutually exclusive classifications – employed, unemployed, and not in the labour force; (2) to provide descriptive and explanatory data on each of these classifications; and (3) To assess the level of poverty in Grenada using the multi-dimensional approach to poverty measurement.

LFS data are used to produce the well-known unemployment rate as well as other standard labour market indicators such as the employment rate and the participation rate. The LFS also provides employment estimates by industry, occupation, public and private sector, hours worked and much more. In addition to the labour market indicators the survey will also produce poverty indicators like the multi-dimensional poverty index (MPI), the incidence of poverty indicator (multi-dimensional poverty rate) and the intensity indicator (a measure of how deprived are the poor).

The Labour Force Survey is a Household Survey. The data collection will be based on a sample of 1,365 households throughout Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique drawn from the Listing of Households which was compiled prior to the survey. The data are collected through face-to- face interviews with members (or a member) of the sampled households using the 2017 labour force survey questionnaire. The information provided by these respondents on the completed questionnaires will be used to produce a picture of the activities of the entire population.

The success of the Labour Force Survey in accurately capturing persons’ employment and welfare status depends on the full cooperation of the public. Persons are informed that the work of the Statistical Department is conducted under the authority of the Statistics Act, No. 30 of 1960 and No. 21 of 1961.

The public is therefore assured that information provided to the Central Statistical Office is strictly confidential and would only be disseminated at the aggregate level. The Oath of Secrecy which will be administered to each interviewer before commencement of his/her duties also guarantees to the public that information given would not be revealed. Anyone violating this oath can be prosecuted.

The public is being advised that the information collected is essential to Government’s efforts to address the unemployment situation. The availability of information on the labour market will put Grenada in a better position to source and access funding for projects related to job creation and also will aid in the sustainable development process. The employment indicators which will be captured are critical in analyzing economic and social progress. Without these, no meaningful assessment of development performance is complete. Therefore, it is critical to have timely information for effective planning, implementation and monitoring.

The Central Statistical Office is soliciting the full support and cooperation from the general public, especially the households selected for interviewing. Your positive response to completing the questionnaire accurately and to the best of your knowledge is important to the overall success of the survey. The information provided can positively impact the development of our country.

The most recent Labour Force Surveys were done in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016.